imported post
killchain wrote:
Can someone point me in the right direction for some reading up on concealed and open carry laws in Utah?
Also, does Utah recognize Washington State Concealed Pistol Licenses?
Chain,
In addition to the pamphlet rpyne pointed you to, you can also easily access Utah law directly at
http://www.le.state.ut.us/UtahCode/title.jsp .
With a valid permit from anywhere in the nation, you are legal to carry a gun almost anyplace you are likely to visit in Utah. And with the federal credit card bill taking effect this past February, that includes inside National Parks located within Utah.
Open carry with a permit is legal, and generally well accepted in most locations. No guarantees that someone won't have an issue with it on a college campus or in a national park however.
The list of where you can't legally carry, even with your permit, is fairly short:
The usual federal locations like post offices, military installations, federal facilities (including court houses, and visitor centers in national parks), etc;
Jails, prisons, secure mental hospitals, and State/city courthouses;
Private homes that make a request not to have guns brought in;
Houses of worship that "give notice" that guns are not welcome;
A temporary secure hearing room on a college campus.
In addition to the usual methods of giving notice like posting signs or verbal communication, churches can give notice by being included on the Utah BCI webpage at
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/CFchurch.html . At this time, only the LDS (aka "Mormon") church is using this method to give notice. They have included all of their houses of worship which includes regular church buildings, temples (not open to non-LDS anyway), and the conference center, tabernacle, and assembly hall on temple square.
Only the interior of these buildings are off limits, parking lots and other outdoor areas are legal. However, if you choose to visit Temple Square you will want to secure your gun in the car if you are going to tour the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall, or Conference Center. If you are not going to visit the interior of those buildings, you may well consider legally concealing at temple square rather than OCing just to avoid being asked to leave.
A couple of other churches may have signs posted, or verbally ask you to take your gun out if they see it. Other than the areas listed above, a "no gun" sign has no legal weight in Utah, and (therefore) are quite rare anyway.
Places you CAN legally carry with your permit:
Schools and school zones;
Restaurants, bars, private clubs, or other establishments that sell or serve alcohol; You may even legally imbibe while legally carrying a gun, but you may NOT be over the legal limit for driving while in possession of a gun (generally 0.08% BAC); Exercise good judgment and caution if you choose to drink at all while in possession of a gun.
City and State government buildings including the State capital, recreation centers, etc (other than those secure areas listed above like jails);
Parks, trails, wildlife refuges, etc. (There are a few old, outdated, and unenforceable signs in some of these areas that we are still getting cleaned up. Let us know if you see any.)
We do not have a duty to notify law if you are stopped by police, but if you choose to notify, simply handing them your permit with your license and waiting to say anything at all until they ask you a question is about the best way of notifying, in my opinion.
If you are flying the ticket agents at the SLC airport are very well versed in the procedure to declare and check your gun for the flight home. After filling out the paperwork they will walk you and your back down to wear a TSA agent will inspect your open bag / case in your presence, and then either re-lock it for you, or ask you to lock it before taking it into the bowels of the airport for getting onto your plane. This procedure rarely adds more than 5 minutes to my check in time compared to checking a bag without a gun.
Have a safe and enjoyable trip.
I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, and so on and so forth.
Charles
